By Jang Ha-jun, SPOTV News — Pep Guardiola pushed back forcefully on the postmatch controversy over his players’ celebrations, directly rebutting Wayne Rooney’s criticism of Manchester City’s conduct.
Manchester City beat Arsenal 2-1 on April 20 (Korean time) at the Etihad Stadium in the 33rd round of the 2025–26 Premier League season. Rayan Cherki opened the scoring in the first half, and Erling Haaland added a second-half goal to seal the win. Arsenal’s only goal came from Kai Havertz.
The victory moved City to 67 points, keeping them in second and cutting the gap to leaders Arsenal to three points. With a game in hand, they still have a chance to reclaim the top spot depending on the result at Burnley. After chasing all season, the result provided a crucial momentum shift.
But the story after the final whistle wasn’t limited to the result. Rooney criticized what he called an excessive celebration by City’s players, suggesting it may have been premature. Guardiola responded decisively.
“People can say anything. Sometimes they say foolish things,” Guardiola said, clearly irritated. “The players celebrated because they know how strong the opposition is. If we hadn’t won this match, our challenge would have been over,” he added, underlining the importance of the victory.
“We are still in the title race. It would be odd not to express joy in this situation,” he continued. “Respecting the opponent is one thing, but we also have the right to show our emotions in our own way.”
Guardiola said he always tells his players to enjoy the moment. “Waiting until the end of the season to celebrate makes no sense. What’s the point of playing if you don’t celebrate when you win? You should share that moment with the fans every match,” he said.
He closed by stressing how big the Arsenal game felt for his squad. “This game was like a final for us. It might not have been for them, but we treated it that way,” Guardiola said. “That’s why the celebrations were natural.”
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